Spill-proof plate

ABSTRACT

A plate comprising an extension member, a slip-resistant material, and two underside rims is provided. The extension member protrudes from a circumference of the plate’s body and the slip-resistant material is coupled to a bottom surface of the plate between the two underside rims. The extension member provides a location where a user can securely grip the plate when carrying or holding the plate. The slip-resistant material helps prevent the plate from sliding off a surface, such as the top of a beverage container, when the plate is being held or carried. As such, the plate is designed to help prevent food or utensils from falling off of the plate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Pat. ApplicationSerial No. 63/264,181, filed on Nov. 17, 2021, entitled “SPILL-PROOFPLATE,” currently pending, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a plate and more specificallyto a slip-resistant plate that may help prevent food and beveragespillage during use.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Many social activities, such as cocktail parties, involve peopleconsuming food and beverages while standing and/or walking. Often, thefood at such activities is served on a small plate (e.g., a cocktailplate), and the drinks are served in a beverage container (e.g., achampagne flute, a beer glass, or a can). If a partygoer wishes to eatand drink while standing, they must either hold the plate and thebeverage container in separate hands or precariously balance the plateon top of the beverage container. This presents a challenging balancingact for partygoers.

To begin, it can be very difficult for a person to eat food from a platewhile balancing the plate on top of a beverage container. While eating,the person’s attention is directed away from appropriately balancing theplate on the top of the beverage container. Also, the act of removingfood from the plate may cause the plate to become unbalanced.Furthermore, if one wishes to shake another’s hand, give a hug, or handover a business card, the person’s attention is again directed away frommaintaining the plate’s balance. If the plate is not appropriatelybalanced, the person risks dropping the plate, any utensils placed onthe plate, and/or food on the plate. Dropping or spilling these itemswould subject the plate holder to embarrassment or even injury.

Much of the challenge of balancing the typical cocktail plate arisesfrom its design. The typical cocktail plate is small, made of a materialwith a low coefficient of friction, and only has a single underside ringor rim. Thus, when placed on the top of a beverage container, the platemay easily slide, which increases the chances for the plate or itemsplaced on the plate to fall to the ground.

In addition, the typical cocktail plate requires the person to holdtheir thumb on the circumference of the plate’s top surface, which isadjacent to the food on the plate. Given the small size of the plate,there is a risk that the person will accidently place his or her thumbinto the food on the plate, creating a mess on the person’s hands thatmust be cleaned up. Further, if one wishes to use a utensil to eat thefood, the utensil must be precariously balanced on the edge of the platewhen not in use. Placing a utensil in such a position further increasesthe risk of food spillage or of a utensil falling to the ground.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention overcomes many of the shortcomings and limitationsof the prior art devices discussed above. The invention describedincludes several embodiments of a slip-resistant plate that is designedto help the user maintain the proper balance of the plate by reducingthe plate’s movement when the plate is positioned on an upper surface ofa beverage container such as a champagne flute, beer glass, or winegoblet. To begin, the slip-resistant plate may include multiple,preferably concentric, underside rims that are coupled to or integrallyformed from the bottom surface of the plate. When the upper surface of abeverage container is positioned between two such concentric undersiderims, the slip-resistant plate preferably is movement-restricted by the“wall” formed by the rims. This in turn may assist the user inmaintaining the appropriate balance of the plate. Furthermore, ahigh-density, slip-resistant material (e.g., a closed-cell foam) may beaffixed to the bottom surface of the plate and positioned between twounderside rims. The slip-resistant material may have a high coefficientof friction to help prevent the plate from moving when positioned uponthe upper surface of the beverage container. Further, the slip-resistantmaterial may be shaped to accommodate the rim of a beverage containersuch as a champagne flute, a wine goblet, or a beer mug. Together,compared to a traditional cocktail plate, these features may helpprevent the slip-resistant plate or items placed upon the slip-resistantplate from falling to the ground when the plate is balanced on the uppersurface of a beverage container.

The slip-resistant plate may also include an extension member that helpsthe user control the plate’s movement. The extension member may be aprotrusion extending outwardly from a body of the plate whereupon theuser may securely grip the plate. By providing the user a convenient,secure gripping location, the user is less likely to drop theslip-resistant plate. Moreover, the extension member may include adepression or a groove adapted to accommodate a utensil such that theuser is less likely to knock the utensil off of the plate.

These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art after considering thefollowing detailed description in connection with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a slip-resistant plate constructedaccording to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the slip-resistant plate of FIG. 1 ; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the slip-resistant plate of FIGS. 1and 2 , the slip-resistant plate positioned on an upper surface of adrinking glass.

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof is shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that the drawings and detaileddescription presented herein are not intended to limit the disclosure tothe particular embodiment disclosed, but to the contrary, the intentionis to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives fallingwithin the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by theappended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawingfigures, in which like reference numerals refer to like partsthroughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristicsof the present invention, proportional relationships of the elementshave not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates a slip-resistant plate 1 (hereinafter, the “plate 1”)that food, utensils, or other items may be placed upon. The plate 1 maybe used at a table, or it may be held by a person that is standing orwalking. The plate 1 may be adapted such that it may be positioned onthe upper surface of a beverage container (see FIG. 3 ), which may allowthe user to hold a beverage container and the plate 1 with one hand asthe user walks or stands.

A body 5 of the plate 1 may be composed of glass, plastic, or othermaterials that would be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Thebody 5 may be substantially circular, although other shapes for the body5 (such as an oval, a square, or a rectangle) are foreseeable. A topsurface 10 of the body 5 may be substantially planar, or the top surface10 may have sides that slope downwardly until a predetermined point onthe top surface 10 to form a more bowl-like structure. If present, thesloping sides may assist the user in retaining food or other items neara center 15 of the plate 1, which in turn may help reduce the risk thatfood or other items will spill from the plate 1.

To assist the user in holding and balancing the plate 1, the plate 1 mayinclude an extension member 20. The extension member 20 may be formed asa substantially planar protrusion extending outwardly from acircumference 25 of the body 5. The size of the extension member 20 isnot limited, although it is preferably large enough (e.g., has a largeenough surface area) such that a typical user may grip the extensionmember 20 with at least two fingers. As a non-limiting example, theextension member 20 may extend about one-fourth of an inch (about ¼inch) to about eight inches (about 8 inches) outwardly from thecircumference 25 of the body 5. As further non-limiting examples, theextension member 20 may extend about 0 inches to about 2 inches, orabout 2 inches to about 4 inches, or about 4 inches to about 6 inches,or about 6 inches to about 8 inches outwardly from the circumference 25.

Advantageously, because the extension member 20 protrudes beyond thecircumference 25, the extension member 20 may provide the user with alocation to grip the plate 1 that is adjacent to where food is placed onthe plate 1. In addition, since the extension member 20 may besubstantially planar, the extension member 20 may allow the user tocontrol the plate 1 with his or her thumb. In some embodiments of theinvention, the extension member 20 may be contoured to the shape of atypical user’s finger shape to assist the user in gripping the plate 1more securely. In other embodiments, the extension member 20 may have aslip-resistant surface to help prevent the plate 1 from slipping fromthe user’s grip.

The extension member 20 may include a depression or a groove 30positioned thereon. As non-limiting examples, the groove 30 may extendfrom an edge 35 of the extension member 20 towards the center 15 of theplate 1, or the groove 30 may extend from the circumference 25 of theplate 1 and towards the center 15. The groove 30 may be formed as acylindrical recess in the top surface 10, although the groove 30 is notlimited to a particular shape. The width and the depth of the groove 30may be adapted such that at least a portion, such as a handle portion,of at least one utensil (not illustrated) may be received therein, whichin turn may help secure the at least one utensil on the plate 1. When autensil is received within the groove 30, sides 40 may help prevent theutensil from sliding around the surface of the plate by restricting themotion of the utensil along at least one axis. In some embodiments ofthe invention, the groove 30 may have a slip-resistant surface that mayhelp prevent the utensil from sliding out of the groove 30 as the plateis moved. In alternative embodiments of the invention, the extensionmember 20 and/or the plate 1 may have more than one groove 30 positionedthereon.

Turning to FIG. 2 , the plate 1 may include a bottom surface 45 withunderside rims 50 and 55. The rims 50, 55 may be provided as thinconcentric rings that project outwardly from the bottom surface 45 andmay be integrally formed with or coupled to the bottom surface 45. Therim 55 may be positioned within and substantially surrounded by the rim50 such that a channel 60 is formed between the rims 50, 55. Forexample, the rim 50 may define an outer boundary of the channel 60 andthe rim 55 may define an inner boundary of the channel 60. In addition,the rims 50, 55 may be positioned and sized such that an upper surfaceof a beverage container (not illustrated) may be received and containedin the channel 60. When the upper surface of a beverage container isreceived and contained within the channel 60, the rims 50, 55 may act asbarriers to prevent the movement of the plate 1 by restricting themotion of the plate along at least one axis.

A width W of the channel 60 (as defined by the distance between the rims50, 55) may substantially correspond to a thickness of a rim of aparticular beverage container (e.g., a beer stein or champagne glass),or the width W may be sized such that the plate 1 can be used with avariety of beverage containers. As a non-limiting example, the width Wmay substantially correspond to a thickness of a rim of a standardchampagne glass such that when the rim of the champagne glass isreceived in the channel 60, the rim of the champagne glass is proximateto or abuts the rims 50, 55. In addition, the width W of the channel 60may be substantially constant, or the width W may vary.

While the rims illustrated in FIG. 2 are substantially circular, inother embodiments of the invention the shape of the rims 50, 55 may beadapted to mirror the overall shape of the plate 1 as would beappreciated by those skilled in the art. For example, if the plate 1 issubstantially square-shaped, the rims 50, 55 may also be substantiallysquare-shaped. In yet other embodiments of the invention, the plate 1may have a single rim or more than two rims.

A slip-resistant material 65 may be affixed to the bottom surface 45 ofthe plate 1. The slip-resistant material 65 may be positioned within thechannel 60, within the rim 50, or elsewhere on the bottom surface 45.For example, the slip-resistant material 65 may partially cover thebottom surface 45 within the channel 60, may substantially cover theentirety of the bottom surface 45 within the channel 60, or maysubstantially cover the bottom surface 45 contained within the rim 50.The slip-resistant material 65 may be composed of a substance with ahigh coefficient of friction including, but not limited to, ahigh-density closed-cell foam. If composed of a substance with a highcoefficient of friction, the slip-resistant material 65 may generate ahigh static frictional force between the bottom surface 45 of the plate1 and another surface, such as the upper surface (e.g., rim) of abeverage container. Advantageously, a high static frictional force mayhelp prevent the plate 1 from falling off the beverage container, sincethe friction force will help prevent the movement of the plate 1relative to the upper surface of the beverage container. In turn, thismay also help prevent utensils or food from spilling off the plate andonto the ground.

In FIG. 3 , the plate 1 is positioned upon an upper surface 70 of arepresentative glass 75. The glass 75 may be a wine glass, a beer glass,a stein, a cocktail glass, or another drinking vessel as would beappreciated by those skilled in the art. Here, the glass 75 ispositioned such that the upper surface 70 contacts the slip-resistantmaterial 65 affixed to the bottom surface 45 of the plate 1. Further,the upper surface 70 is received within the channel 60 and positionedbetween the rims 50, 55. Together, the rims 50, 55, the channel 60, andthe slip-resistant material 65 may assist the user in balancing theplate 1 on the upper surface 70. As stated previously, the rims 50, 55may restrict the movement of the upper surface 70 along at least oneaxis. If the plate 1 moves a predetermined distance within the channel60, one of the rims 50 or 55 may contact a lip 80 of the glass 75, whichmay help prevent further movement of the plate. At the same time, theslip-resistant material 65 may help prevent the plate 1 from movingrelative to the glass 75 due to the high coefficient of friction of theslip-resistant material 65. Advantageously, as compared to traditionalplates, these features may help a user more easily balance the plate 1on a glass 75.

As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of thepresent invention is not limited by the particular details of theexamples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that othermodifications, applications, variations, or equivalents thereof, willoccur to those skilled in the art. Many such changes, modifications,variations and other uses and applications of the present constructionswill, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art afterconsidering the specification and the accompanying drawings. Inaddition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should benoted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. All suchchanges, modifications, variations and other uses in applications whichdo not depart from the spirit and scope of the present inventions aredeemed to be covered by the inventions which are limited only by theclaims which follow.

1. A plate comprising: a body including a top surface and a bottomsurface; an inner rim and an outer rim projecting downwardly from thebottom surface; a channel formed between the inner rim and the outerrim; and a slip-resistant material secured in the channel.
 2. The plateof claim 1, the plate further including an extension member protrudingoutwardly and away from the body of the plate, the extension memberhaving a groove disposed thereon.
 3. The plate of claim 2, wherein thegroove extends inwardly and towards a center of the body.
 4. The plateof claim 2, wherein the groove is configured to receive at least oneutensil.
 5. The plate of claim 1, wherein the slip-resistant material iscomposed of an open-celled foam.
 6. The plate of claim 1, wherein awidth of the channel is substantially constant.
 7. The plate of claim 1,wherein the body of the plate is substantially circular, and wherein theinner rim and the outer rim are substantially circular.
 8. A platecomprising: a body, an outer edge of the body defining a circumferenceof the body; an extension member extending outwardly and away from thecircumference of the body; a depression within the extension member thatextends towards the body; and a first slip-resistant material affixed toa bottom surface of the body.
 9. The plate of claim 8, the plate furtherincluding a channel formed on the bottom surface of the body, andwherein the first slip-resistant material is positioned within thechannel.
 10. The plate of claim 8, the plate further including at leastone rim, wherein the at least one rim defines a channel, and wherein thefirst slip-resistant material is coupled to the bottom surface of theplate within the channel.
 11. The plate of claim 10, wherein the channelis positioned and located between a first rim of the at least one rimand a second rim of the at least one rim.
 12. The plate of claim 8,wherein the depression extends towards a center of the body.
 13. Theplate of claim 8, wherein the depression is adapted to retain at leastone utensil, and wherein a second slip-resistant material is positionedand located in the depression.
 14. The plate of claim 8, wherein theextension member has a surface area, and the surface area is largeenough to allow a typical user to grip the extension member with atleast two fingers.
 15. A plate comprising: a body having a top surfaceand a bottom surface; an extension member extending a first directionand away from a center of the body, the extension member including atleast one groove; at least one rim positioned and located on the bottomsurface of the plate, the at least one rim projecting in a seconddirection from the bottom surface; a channel substantially surrounded bya first rim of the at least one rim; and a first slip-resistant materialpositioned and located within the channel, the first slip-resistantmaterial covering at least a portion of the bottom surface within thechannel.
 16. The plate of claim 15, wherein the body includes an outercircumference, and wherein the extension member extends in the firstdirection from the outer circumference.
 17. The plate of claim 15,wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicularrelative to one another.
 18. The plate of claim 15, wherein the firstrim defines an outer boundary of the channel, and a second rim of the atleast one rim defines an inner boundary of the channel.
 19. The plate ofclaim 18, wherein the first slip-resistant material covers substantiallyall of the bottom surface within the channel.
 20. The plate of claim 15,wherein a second slip-resistant material is provided in a first grooveof the at least one groove.